The Cost of Living and Finding Joy

My car normally fills up with about $75…but this week it's $123!

Rising rates and costs are stressful and it’s not just all the articles talking about it. The Government taking away the fuel excise relief meaning petrol will go UP BY 50c a litre is enough to cause panic. It’s the stress of what MIGHT happen.  It all feels overwhelmingly joyless… so let’s make some moves to get in control of our money and find joy again.

Here are the top five moves I will be making this week to reduce my money stress and find my joy:

1. Track my spending – what am I doing and how much is it costing? We have the wealth tracker app (https://clover.wealthdesk.com.au/my/home) because yes, the cost of petrol freaked me out this week, but I don’t use my car that much.  I walk to work and live close enough to what I am doing that I normally get public transport.
2. Compare my bills – this time last year I was home all day because we were locked down (I’m from Melbourne (the most locked-down city in the world) so energy prices matter. I have adjusted how I heat the house to reduce these very high costs. Use a comparison site or go onto https://compare.energy.vic.gov.au/ or if you are not in Victoria https://www.energymadeeasy.gov.au/ (and if you are in Victoria don’t forget to claim your $250) that may bring some joy too!!
3. Get organised – food costs a heap more at the supermarket so shop at the market. It’s fresher and it lasts longer anyway… again, Melbournites the Prahran market $30 box of mixed veg available Saturday and Sunday keeps Elodie and I going for about 2 weeks.
4. Is spending also saving – add a micro invest app to your life and watch the round-ups from your spending add incrementally to your savings… invisible savings bring a lot more joy than invisible spending and you can add to this anytime.
5. Find something that brings joy - it's winter in Melbourne so we are all rugged up and freezing so it feels hard to get out. But I really need to make a list of the 10 things that make me happy…and do them. Go to the gym, get a massage, take my granddaughter to the pool, order very yummy takeaway and spend a night watching Only Murders in the Building, cocktails with friends, you know what yours are.

So, let’s do the practical stuff but let’s find the joy, our reason to live…